Idris Elba and Diene Petterle unveil 22 Summers

Idris Elba has joined forces with former BBC and Pulse Films exec Diene Petterle to create a new production company, 22 Summers.

The duo are developing a slate of ambitious unscripted content with a social purpose. The label’s first project, the four-part Erased: WWII Heroes of Colour , has already TX-ed on Nat Geo and debuts on Disney+ today (10 June). The series is a co-pro with October Films.

Elba’s former production label Green Door has been subsumed into 22 Summers, including its development slate and personnel.

Petterle also previously had her own label with an active development slate (Drumroll Films), meaning 22 Summers has hit the ground running in terms of potential projects.

It is targeting work on both sides of the Atlantic, and is in talks with major streamers about specific projects. Broadcast understands that 22 Summers also has a BBC project about a contemporary issue that is well progressed.

Petterle told Broadcast that the label’s premium factual output is likely to encompass topics such as music, sport, fashion, true crime and social justice. The strategy is to find well-known or mainstream entry points into surprising and complex subjects.

“Idris has an amazing contacts book – but it’s never enough simply to have a famous person in a film. There has to be a great story and an innovative way of telling it. We’re searching for thought-provoking projects we can make, using intelligence and humour.”

Another key tenet of 22 Summers is that SAG and Golden Globe winner Elba is expected to appear on-screen in the minority of its content.

Elba said: “I am thrilled to partner with Diene in this new venture. Whereas in the past most of my non-fiction work saw me on screen, with Diene’s track record in making premium documentaries we can move beyond that. We both want to tell distinctive stories that move audiences with the twists and turns that only true life offers.”

Brazil-born Petterle pointed to the role of diversity of thought and lived-experience in 22 Summers’ plan to craft distinctive stories. She added: “We’re keen to nurture relationships with the people making the very best films out there. We want to tell big, important stories with heart and honesty.”

In terms of staffing, Jess Watts, a former senior development executive at Dorothy Street Pictures, has been drafted in as 22 Summers head of development for unscripted. Projects she developed at in her previous role include Coleen Rooney, The Real Wagatha Story (Disney+) and Escaping Twin Flames Universe (Amazon).

More appointments are expected in the future and Jamilla Dumbya has moved across to the new company as a development exec, having been a key part of Green Door. She is an executive producer on Erased.

The latter is a four-part series that aims to reframe history, through the lens of the black and brown experiences. Erased is a co-production with October Films, and while 22 Summers will be open to creative partnerships in the future, its focus will be originated and creating distinctive stories under its own steam.

22 Summers is also expected to outline significant ambitions in the scripted world, including a significant appointment, relatively shortly.

Elba, who is represented by The Artists Partnership and The Lede Company, will discuss Erased: WWII Heroes of Colour at the session at the National Geographic session at the Sheffield Documentary Festival on 14 June.

Petterle is a double Emmy and BAFTA winning filmmaker. Her extensive credits include Netflix feature doc Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now, which explored the musician’s struggles with mental health, and ITV’s award winning In Cold Blood, which highlighted the infected blood scandal in 2020.

There has been a surge in interest in the scandal recently and the network repeated the film on its main channel last month.